Captain America: The First Avenger - Alternate Ending
by Crescent Moon Dancer
Summary: Was it really, strictly necessary for Steve to crash the aircraft and freeze himself in ice for seventy years? Maybe - and maybe not. He certainly doesn't seem to think so - not as long as there's another way out.
The wind whistled deafeningly through the hole in the windscreen, stinging Steve's eyes as it whipped endlessly past his face. Grimacing with concentration, he hauled on the controls, raising the aircraft out of it's haphazard dive before pulling it into a wide curve.

Peggy's voice crackled over the radio. "Steve? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Captain America blinked away the tears that the shrieking air brought to his eyes. "Listen, tell the Colonel to evacuate the base, and all of you get out of there. I'm turning this thing around."

"Turning it around?" The British agent sounded puzzled. "Can't you just set it down?"

"I could," Steve confirmed, "but that would mean crashing into the water, which I'd sort of like to avoid." A shaky laugh greeted his comment, and he cracked a faint grin. "Besides, there's other agents of Hydra out there, and it's better if all the bases are unusable. We took care of all but that one."

The super-soldier's meaning hit Peggy, and she turned, exchanging a few quick words with the colonel. Moments later, a speedy but well-ordered evacuation was underway; only the colonel, Agent Carter, and Cap's team remained. Peggy turned back to the radio, fighting back the fear that welled up in her.

"Is there any way you can get out of there safely before you crash?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.

Steve's voice came over the speakers, calm and sure, soothing her anxiety. "I think so. I can re-set the coordinates and get the plane back on autopilot." A low chuckle sounded on the other end, and Agent Carter's lips lifted in a tiny smile at the sound. "Those bombs aren't set on a timer or anything, so I don't have to worry about them. I'm not sure how Schmidt thought they were going to explode - I crashed one into this plane and nothing remarkable happened."

Colonel Phillips, standing behind the pretty English officer, raised an eyebrow and leaned over her shoulder, addressing the Captain over the radio. "Bombs? What bombs?"

"That you, Colonel?" Cap swiped a wrist across his eyes, squinting against the rushing air. "I forgot to mention, there's a couple of bombs on this thing. Schmidt labeled them with their destinations, Boston and New York being two of them. I didn't see the others."

Phillips frowned. "You read German?"

"No sir. It was in English."

The colonel and Peggy exchanged incredulous looks, and the brusque military man rubbed his forehead. "Let me get this straight. There's a bunch of bombs on that blasted aircraft you're flying, their destinations conveniently labeled in our native language, they're not on a timer, you crashed one into your plane, and it didn't strafe you?"

There was a significant pause.

"Yes sir."

Another pause. Then-

"How the hell do you _crash_ a _bomb?_ "

"That's the funny thing, Colonel." Steve glanced at his altimeter and lowered the nose of the craft slightly. "These contraptions are like tiny little airplanes; in fact, they're not so much bombs as bomb _ers._ "

Back at the Hydra base, the captain's strike team chuckled, and Colonel Phillips sternly suppressed a smile, keeping his voice at its usual gruff tone. "I didn't ask for a poor example of military humor, Rogers," he barked.

 _Crackle, crackle._ "Sorry, sir."

Phillips snorted. "Like hell you are. Now tell me, how long do we have before you get back here and blow up this joint?"

Cap chewed his lip reflectively as he made some quick calculations. "About ten minutes, sir, maybe fifteen. No more than that, certainly."

"That'll be enough. Listen, here's what I want you to do. Put that thing you're flying on autopilot and go take a look at one of those so-called bombs. If you're absolutely sure it's not going to explode at a moment's notice, you're to evacuate in it before you crash into this base. You still got one of those transponders like you had when you hared out on us before?"

Agent Carter flinched internally, but Steve's voice came over the speaker, level and unrepentant.

"Yes sir, Stark gave me another one in case of emergency."

"Good. Set down your little bomber-wannabe somewhere safe and isolated, and send us a signal. We'll pinpoint your location and rendezvous with you there; I want that bomb of Schmidt's thoroughly examined and analyzed!"

"Yes sir."

Peggy sent the base's coordinates to the plane, and the patriotic icon entered them and activated the autopilot. For about three minutes, there was no sound besides the static of the radio; then Steve's voice came on.

"I checked out one of the bombs, sir. It's got to be activated manually, and then the pilot has fifteen seconds to eject before it detonates."

"Fifteen seconds, huh?" The colonel's eyes narrowed, and he glared at the console as if it were the captain that he had pinned under his steely gaze. "How do you know?"

"I tested it myself. Had to shove it out the carrier before it went off, since apparently they can't be disarmed once activated - at least, not in the allotted time." Steve paused as a dreadful sputtering noise crackled through his speaker. "Sir?"

The strike team had to turn away to hide their grins as Phillips spluttered wordlessly for a moment.

" _You set off one of the bombs in the plane you're flying?_ Captain Rogers, what was going on in your damn head? Suppose you didn't have _any_ time to eject?"

"Unlikely, sir. If Schmidt had been forced to pilot one of them himself, he would need time to get out of it before it exploded, a factor that he no doubt took into consideration when he designed them. I dropped it over the water, sir," he added, by way of reassurance. "The only things that suffered were, at the most, a couple of hundred fish."

Colonel Phillips closed his eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath and tamping down the furious diatribe he longed to regale Rogers with. There was simply no time for that right now.

"Fine. As long as you and at least one of the 'bombs' are still intact. I reckon we're down to about five minutes now - it's time we get out of here. Remember what I told you, now: Get to safety, press your little magic button, and we'll come pick you up. Think you can do that without causing unnecessary trouble?"

Cap smiled to himself. "Yes sir." He paused. "Good luck, Colonel."

"You too, Rogers."

"Be careful, Steve." True to her training and natural, inner steel, Agent Carter's voice reflected none of the desperate pleading that she felt. Steve smiled again.

"Don't worry, Peggy, I'll be fine." He chuckled. "You still owe me a dance, you know."

* * *

 **The end. XD In case anyone is unsure, yes, Cap survives without needlessly sending himself into suspended animation. That was, after all, the whole point of this ficlet. :P**

 **As always, reviews would be much appreciate. :)**


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